


Down in the Deep

by DghteroftheMoon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Diver Kieth, Gen, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Injury Recovery, Language (Cursing), Past Abuse, Police Officer Shiro (Voltron), merfolk, mermaid lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 11:19:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15266370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DghteroftheMoon/pseuds/DghteroftheMoon
Summary: Lance is recovering from his time spent in the "ring" having sustained many permanent injuries he is unable to return to the ocean due to being unable to sense anything behind him. Lance is in the current custody of the Medical Merfolk Zoo.During his time there at some point his tank needs fixed or cleaned and someone has to dive down into the deep where Lance lives. Lance is protective of his territory as anyone should be having not yet recovered from the abuse is still seen as dangerous.Keith is sent down to repair something in Lance's tank and is unaware of Lance's presence behind him.(I am new to archiveofourown so please tell me if I did something wrong or any tips about the website)





	Down in the Deep

Shiro panicked as he followed one of the guides down below to see the bottom of the tank. He saw Keith inside stuck in the ship made for the deep sea merman to hide inside. Keith was staying calm but Shiro could tell he wanted out. Shiro pulled out his walkie-talkie.

“Everyone Keith is stuck in the deep sea exhibit what merman or mermaid uses tank DS74?” Shiro requested he was night watch; Keith repaired the tanks along with Pidge. Hunk helped clean them; Allura owned the place and Coran helped run it. They had many creatures and the merman or mermaids here got medical treatment as they stayed some choose to go in public tanks but due to only one deep sea tank, something was moved into this one.

“Oh dear, a recovering ring merman very dangerous and vicious the gang he was taken by had him fight. Sensors in his back are shot he cannot return to the ocean for he cannot sense anything behind him” Coran informed.

“He’s rare acts on impulse defends first but given the chance will kill instantly, spikes on the tail are poisonous, sharp claws, terrifying teeth, currently in a weak state but still fast, location in the tank unknown he doesn’t need heat so gives no heat signature, also makes ink when in desperate situations,” Pidge informed.

“Thanks, Pidge” Keith muttered his line sounded like static. Lucky for them this deck was off limits to the public eye they gave the mermaids or merman’s a choice if they wanted to show off, stay hidden, be returned to the sea, or stay in the building.

“You alright Keith?” Allura asked

“Umm…” Keith’s line faded out a bit. “Does he come to blood?”

“Yes,” Pidge answered shirking Shiro told the volunteer to keep everyone off this floor and ran above.

Keith cursed and cursed his leg was caught on some sort of rod making red blood seep through the water. His breathing picked up and he looked around desperately.

“I don’t want to get killed” Keith muttered shaking his leg more violently.

“Keith calm down or your air will run out and someone will have to get you, Shiro is going to come down soon hang in there do you see him?” Coran asked the others were gathered at the surface of the tank it was closed to due merman’s being able to throw themselves higher out of the water than mermaids.

“Anything you can tell me about him that could give him away?!” Keith asked trying to calm his rapid breathing.

“It’s a predator and since he’s been in the ring he will attack with instinct or not. But his body should have small scales that glow on certain parts, it’s a light blue used to attract fish and whatnot that is one way to see him” Pidge informed.

“And is there another way? I can hardly see!” Keith cried out as his leg somehow dug further into the metal rod blood rising higher.

“if you’re sure he’s not near you then look behind you” Pidge warned it was true even though deep sea Merfolk were rare when one was captured and a trainer/medic lost track of them inside their tank it ended up being behind them before they got killed.

Keith froze and looked around with his eyes he was sure it wasn’t below him, above him, right, left, or forward. 

That only left behind him. 

He turned around slowly and would never admit to being scared but his breathing skyrocketed when ghostly eyes stared right at him.

Keith screamed, “It’s fucking behind me!”

“Keith, don’t move!” Hunk screamed, “it reacts faster to violent movements!”

Keith froze staring at the deep sea merman. Scars littered the creature scales covered the skin some glowed at the end of his spikes, fins, and between his eyes. His mouth was slightly open showing thousands of sharp teeth. Arms slightly parted claws extended to full length. 

Keith’s eyes were wide never leaving the creature. He would never admit it but he whimpered with fright and the increasing pain.

“Keith, talk to me quietly” Shiro stated he had started to descend into the water.

“Shiro trust me and get out of the water it’s inches away from me” Keith whispered his voice shook.

“But-

“No, he’s right following our safety rules and laws around deep-sea creatures Shiro you need to get out of the tank” Coran informed saddened Shiro cursed and swam back up to the surface. Hunk helped him out and Pidge got his gear off. 

Allura and Coran stood down below watching Keith.

“Keith” Allura stated with a tone that gave away everything. They all knew he was going to die if one wrong move was made.

“Don’t say it” Keith whispered his voice somehow got quieter another whimper he couldn’t keep looking at the creature and needed to turn around his back ached and it wasn’t helping his leg.

“Move slowly if you need to turn around I promise we will tell you if we see movement but we don’t have a visual he blends in too well” Coran whispered Shiro started cursing again listening to his brother’s uneven breaths.

Slowly Keith turned around fear struck him deep in the chest of not knowing. The lights following protocol started to dim Keith’s breath hitched as Allura and Coran were blinded. Keith had a light on his helmet the only thing allowing him to see dark water.

“Lights going out Keith talk if you need to” Pidge reassured

“Its ok buddy” hunk stated Shiro didn’t know what to say. Keith was paralyzed with fear but slowly crossed his arms hugging himself.

He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and shirked causing everyone else’s heart to sink. Keith watched as the creature slowly circled around him and now floated in front of him, head slightly turned it was petrifying. 

Keith’s breaths were short and rapid as the creature leaned forward Keith whimpered again.

“Keith?” Shiro asks

“It’s r-r-right in f-front of m-me” Keith whimpered out to scared to move or protest to the creature putting its face right into his leaning on his visor.

“Keith its ok, its ok calm down” Allura tried

“It’s not f-fucking ok!” Keith cried causing him to flinch as he froze again his words to scared to leave his mouth when the creature reacted to his movement.

“It could be trying to tell if you’re an object or not! I don’t know about his sight!” Pidge tried

“I-I-I flinched i-i-it knows” Keith managed, breaking Pidge apart. 

But the creature studied him. He had been staying behind the diver when he entered his tank.

When he turned around he heard the diver’s cry of fear familiar to his own cries in the ring.

He swam around when the diver refused to look at him. He wanted to study the divers face seeing how his fear was so close to his when he fought. The creature leaned in trying to decide to kill or spare. It was frightened like he was, but it was in his tank it was prey. 

The diver had whimpered, screamed, and shirked anytime he saw him. Curiosity had delayed his attack if there was to be one. 

Noticing the blood craving it knew it was not of a fish or anything he’s eaten before. It was wrong to him foreign. 

The creature choose to spare for no one had given him spare and now he was in their place he could show the mercy no one should him, to prove he was not deadly well not as deadly as they made him me.

The creature looked down at his wound ghostly eyes could see perfectly and hear the divers breathing he noticed a comm on his helmet growling the creature reached up and ripped the comm off him tossing it to the ground. That got another shriek of fear and the creature regretted its actions.

Keith had cried out again. The creature saw the drain of hope from the driver's eyes and looked down to the comm did he have a connection to it? The creature remembered him talking to someone maybe they kept them calm?

The creature thought of a way to apologize by freeing the visitor in his tank.

He reached down grabbed the diver and shoved him roughly off the rod. The diver screamed hurting the creature’s ears but understood pain. Keith was confused screaming and terrified it had just pushed him off the rod, but he was unable to swim from fear.

The creature watched him he stayed in the water and slowly descended onto the ground. Could it not swim? Is it too injured? The creature swam in a ghostly manner to the diver and got behind him one hand gripping a cable on his gear and lifted him up. The creature slowly swam to the surface.

Keith was grateful, to say the least, he got his bearings together and realized what was happening the merman was sparing him something very rare in mermen In general normally mermaids opt out of a fight. But he was grateful never the less.

Keith reached up and banged on the lid of the tank he was desperate he wanted out, but he trusted somehow he trusted the very creature that caused him to scream like a scared child. It didn’t kill him once this is over he may be more comfortable when fixing the tank.

Shiro and the others had gathered at the top looking at the lid, each one in their thoughts and suddenly jerked out of them by desperate banging. Shiro acted first hitting the panel and the lid slowly retracted and Keith broke the surface his eyes wide and breathing out of control.

They were about to jump in and help or at least Shiro but noticed the creature holding him behind him. Slowly the creature moved Keith forward and Keith stayed still as possible his limbs shaking. The merman lifted him up and out of the water Shiro grabbed his arm and pulled him close as Coran and Hunk tended to his leg.

The creature didn’t leave Pidge stared at the exposed deep sea creature along with Allura shock ridden. Keith looked at the creature as it seemed to be trained on him. Other mermaid’s and mermen rose out of their tanks sensing Keith’s fear and looked over spotting the battle-torn deep sea merman.

Coran and Hunk did whatever and needed to transport Keith to the hospital the creature descended without moving back into the water. Shiro stared at the water before hitting the panel again to close the tank.

Keith was released and could go back into tanks everyone was wary of letting him fix a filter in the deep sea tanks even the other Merfolk the social media got the camera feed of Keith’s helmet somehow a volunteer took it and was penalized greatly with how much it affected the medical Merfolk zoo.

People demanded to see the only deep sea merman that spared a human life, others wanted to study it that meant strapping it down on a table somewhere, many tried to buy the merman, others tried breaking into the MM Zoo. 

People even sneaked into the restricted area to try and see the creature no one did of course and many people were banned from coming. It attracted more wanted business along with unwanted business. Keith has not been left alone.

Keith managed to get to work with Shiro’s police car he needed to be driven here by Shiro if he ever wanted in. More people were paid to watch the MM zoo ad everyone made sure they were good people with no wish to harm the zoo or creatures. Keith walked in and a new cop hand a little girl with her as she was on the restricted area.

“I’m sorry but we can’t have a child in here, we don’t know how the merman will react if he spots it or want the child running loose,” Allura said

“I don’t have anyone to watch over her and I promise she’ll stay with me I know how dramatized that merman must be” The cop reassured her motherly nature pure.

“Allura I’m sure it’s ok, just keep her with you at all times and make sure she stays away from the glass… Keith has to fix a filter” Coran says though the Keith part sounded unsure.

“I’m fine with diving again” Keith argued though the creature had dramatized him a bit too. Shiro squeezed his shoulder. “It didn’t kill me before right? Maybe it’ll be fine”

“Keith I know you won’t admit it but you were terrified to be there, I’m not even sure if I want the merman here anymore” Allura stated her worry.

“Where would he go?” Keith asked Allura shrugged.

“A buyer? He can’t be released at any point by law cause of the nerve damage he suffered” Allura murmurs

“No!” Keith shouted startling them “Buyers include people that want to cut them open to this day there is a law about having Merfolk consent to cut them up when dead and people broke it already! They cut open live Merfolk without hesitation and this is the first deep-sea merman ever taken care for. The first was a mermaid that got released after it killed its medic.”

“He’s dangerous” Allura stated “He could have killed you”

“And he didn’t, if we do get rid of him now we should release him back to the ocean” Keith stated a serious tone he already had his gear on and walked away to get to the top of the tank.

“I don’t think Keith should fix the filter right now” Pidge chimed over the comm

“Why?” Hunk asked

“No movement, no heat obliviously, no light on any sensors he’s in survivor mode he’s stalking something,” Pidge said with worry.

“I’ll be fine” Keith reassured her and opened the tank enough for him to descend inside and Shiro closed it after him a bad feeling in his gut.

Keith entered the water surrounded by black; the cop, child, Coran, and Allura were blind to everything again as the lights faded. Keith took in several deep breaths and dropped half way and then swam to the broken filter. He started to repair it but looked around constantly and the realization hit him again.

“If you’re sure he’s not near you then look behind you”

Keith took a deep breath and turned around. It was right behind him he shirked causing everyone to panic again.

“Keith!” Several people called out Keith stared at the creature at it studied him again Keith for some reason felt the need to wave and he did a small wave to the merman. Surprisingly the merman waved back.

“H-he’s being… friendly?” Keith muttered

“Keith?” Shiro asked worriedly

“Remembered Pidge’s warning and turned around it scared the shit out of me that’s why I screamed, but it’s not doing anything just watching I waved and it waved back” Keith explains noticing how curious the creature seemed.

“That’s… weird” Pidge muttered

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Shiro asked

“Yes, he’s just… curious?” Keith answers

“Curious how so?” Hunk asked

“I think it’s always behind its prey to see what it is doing before attacking, but he seems intent on knowing what I’m doing” Keith tried to explain but the creature distracted him by holding out the comm it had taken months ago.

“It just gave me back the comm it ripped off” Keith informed

“My kid is calling the creature Lance it’s cute” the cop chimed in out of the blue. Keith wondered about the name and liked it.

“Try talking to it?” Coran suggested

“Remember not to trigger it” Allura warned

“Hey, you want to know what I’m doing?” Keith asked moving aside showing Lance the filter Lance looked at Keith then at the filter and back to him.

Keith hesitantly reached over grabbing a hold of Lane’s hand Lance flinched and went to bite but stopped himself. Keith put his hand around the wretch and used his own to turn to bolt to get it loose. Lance caught on and helped.

“Hey, there you go Lance” Keith praised smiling the creature looked at him with a quizzical look. Keith began to show Lance everything else letting him help fix the filter.

“Keith, what are you doing?” Hunk asked

“Showing Lance how to fix the filter” Keith answered

“Um, what?” Pidge asked along with Shiro

“Hey I had to do something,” Keith says in defense as he watched Lance copy what he showed him with the filter. “There you go, all done”

Lance looked at him and saw the filter start to operate surprisingly Keith heard a hum like purr from Lance. He smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Keith your Lance”

The creature was familiar with names being called many but liked Lance. He reached out claws scrapping against the suit as he shook hands. Lance seemed lost about the gesture but went along with it anyway.

“You guys mind if I stay down here for a while?” Keith asked

“Why?” Coran asked

“Because I’m teaching him things, we just shook hands and I think he’s aware of his name being Lance now” Keith answers the creature nodded being able to understand them and other Merfolk nearby. Lance understood he would never go home.

Keith than tapped Lance on the arm and recoiled away as if to run. Lance confused went after him and taped him on the arm. Keith then tried to tag him back. Lance remembered being young and doing this with his pod but it was blurred. Lance stayed out of reach.

“Come on you faster than me! Stop with the taunting” Keith playfully yelled trying to push off the glass and into lance but he avoided Keith with ease.

“What?” Everyone asked

“We’re playing tag” Keith explained as he swore he saw Lance laugh at him, laugh in his own weird ass way. “Lance is laughing at me I swear!”

“Do you think his air ran low?”

“Maybe he hit his head?”

“Hey Shiro come on down” Keith offered then whispered to Lance that he had a friend to come help him. Lance understood friends were needed and nodded to Keith’s request.

“Are you sure?” Shiro asked

“What if I pretend to be hurt but you don’t know if I am faking or not” Keith offered Shiro grunted and entered the tank his gear was also on. Shiro descended and found Keith but Lane nowhere in sight.

“Keith you alright? Let me see your air tank?” Shiro asked turning Keith around to look at the gage or whatever. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Hey, Shiro” Keith started Shiro turned him around and waited for him to continue. “If you’re sure he’s not near you then look behind you”

Shiro froze at Keith’s words and slowly turned around and surely enough he was right there Shiro screeched hurting everyone’s ears but sending Keith into a fit of laughter.

“What the hell are you laughing at you of all people have no right!” Shiro yelled startled swimming backwards into Keith.

“I know but it was priceless I screamed you screeched!” Keith argued Shiro wanted to punch his brother. Lance seemed amused as well which didn’t help. “Lance this is Shiro he may enter your tank as well to fix something”

Lance copied Keith’s gesture and held out his clawed hand Shiro reached out with his prosthetic one and shook it.

“Hey, Lance? I feel stupid” Shiro stated

“Shut up and inform me on what’s happening! I want notes!” Pidge yelled Shiro and Keith looked at each other with a fond smile for Pidge.


End file.
